The New World Theatre Club is organising a "Roshomon" play reading on 3 October 2018 at 19:30.
The workshops will see participants reading through a play that may potentially go to FEATS in 2019. The play is based on the novella ‘In a Grove’ by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, written in 1922. It tells a story in which the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife by the notorious bandit Tajōmaru are reconstructed through the accounts of seven witnesses, each presenting a different version of events.
The cast of characters is as follows: Bandit, aged 18-50/55, ideally older - and sturdier - than the samurai, an old hand at crime, probably tired of robbing and killing, but still a ruthless beast of prey when given the occasion; Samurai, aged 18-40, ideally younger and thinner than the bandit, a warrior who believes in the old ways; Wife/Woman, aged 18-40, might be younger or older than her husband, whom she likes and respects for his kindness but does not really love, probably because he turned out to be more boring than she expected; Woman's Mother, aged >45/50, looking old enough to be the wife's mother, characterisation still undecided between helpless and grotesque; Bounty Hunter, aged 18-50/55, the bandit's counterpart, probably an ex-con himself, who chose the law's side to better pursue his interest - or escape the gallows; Priest/Monk, aged 25-65, a self-serving "intellectual", very pleased with himself and his moral superiority; Woodcutter, aged 25-65, probably on the older side, an honest labourer amazed at the strangeness and cruelty of mankind.
Those interested in coming to read the play should email valerie.scott.lu@gmail.com, for organisational purposes.
